McLean inches closer to Beijing Olympics
Whitby softball player helps Canada to Universiade gold
September 6, 2007
WHITBY -- Erin McLean of Whitby is another step closer to realizing her Olympic dream.
Less than a week after McLean and the rest of the Canadian fastball team won gold at the 2007 Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand, she was among the 20 invited to the Olympic Team Selection Camp and China Cup which will take place in Beijing, China from Sept. 30 to Oct. 15.
This will be the final stage of the ongoing selection process for the 2008 Olympic Team, as the coaching staff has been thoroughly evaluating the players throughout the summer.
Of the 20 players, 15 will be selected to represent Canada at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The coaching staff will also keep two or three other players as reserves. The final roster will be announced later this fall.
Canada has come a long way from the previous Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 2004, where the team finished in fifth place. The Canadian team earned a berth in the 2008 Olympics with a fifth place finish at the 2006 ISF World Championships, and followed that up in 2007 with three podium finishes in international events, including the gold medal at the Universiade and a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
McLean, 21, won the Bill Devries award for excellence in athletics and academics at Simon Fraser University last season.